Well, that was fast.
We speculated within the last hour that, if the Buccaneers can’t find a trade partner for cornerback Darrelle Revis, perhaps they’ll cut him. “Perhaps” has now become “will.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Bucs will indeed cut Revis on Wednesday if they can’t find a trade partner. The move would avoid a $1.5 million roster bonus due Thursday. It also would cause the Bucs to avoid having a fourth-round pick upgrade to a third-round pick as the final piece of compensation to the Jets for the trade that sent Revis to Tampa last year.
(Per a league source, the fourth-round pick upgrades if Revis is on the roster after 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.)
Last year at this time, he was due to be a free agent in 2014. If he’s cut, he’ll be a free agent in 2014. And he will have made $16 million in 2013 from the Bucs, along with a $1 million roster bonus from the Jets.
It’s unclear what he’ll get on the open market. But if he’s cut he’ll be exactly in the same place he would have been but for the trade.